iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Book 123 is Tough Guy by Rachel Reid (Adult Fiction). I've been watching (and rewatching) Heated Rivalry on HBO so I figured I'd better finish reading the series.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

It is possible the beauty shop healed my soul today.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Book 122 is Good Spirits by B. K. Borison (Adult Fiction). This is a VERY loose retelling of A Christmas Carol. I was hesitant at the premise but ended up loving it.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Book 121 is Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts (Poetry). I'm finishing up my doctoral classes for the semester and read this one for Poetic Inquiry. Heartbreaking. "The link between us all is tragedy."

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Book 120 is Fight by Sloane St. James (Adult Fiction). Bummed I fell for the TikTok hype on this one. The juice wasn't worth the squeeze.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Book 119 is Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws (Adult Fiction). Couldn't put this one down. So funny and spicy.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Book 118 is Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (Young Adult Fiction). I read this one for student book club. This is The Princess Diaries in Japan. Some parts of it were really great (especially loved all the Asian representation in the friend group) but some parts fell flat for me.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Book 117 is Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone (Adult Fiction). A very satisfying conclusion to this erotic trilogy. Also loved the plot twists and the teaser in the epilogue.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Book 116 is An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister (Adult Fiction). Love love loved this rivals-to-lovers, nerdy, quirky romance.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Book 115 is Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Adult Nonfiction). A frustrating look at why a country with so much has gotten to a place of its people having so little. "Scarcity is a choice."

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Book 114 is Blackthorn by J. T. Geissinger (Adult Fiction). Really enjoyed this very very dark fantasy. And there's a raven shifter!

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Book 113 is Mate by Ali Hazelwood (Adult Fiction). I didn't love this one as much as I loved Bride but I did enjoy the werewolf lore in this one.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Book 112 is Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (Young Adult Fiction). A most satisfying conclusion to this romantic fantasy duology.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Book 111 is Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Young Adult Fiction). I reread this one for Romance Book Club and still love it. It reads like WWI historical fiction with fantasy and a love story.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

My oldest boy is 8-years-old today!!! 🎉 He asked for a YES day. As you can see, he enjoyed it.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Book 110 is The Irresistible Urge To Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley (Adult Fiction). I loved this clever, witty, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romantic fantasy. Really looking forward to the second book.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

Book 109 is Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver (Adult Fiction). Another horror rom-com from this author. I liked the side characters the most, but also appreciated the love that developed between the two main characters.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Book 108 is Knot Her Shot by Ari Wright (Adult Fiction). Another very cutesy hockey Omegaverse romance.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Book 107 is Model Home by Rivers Solomon (Adult Fiction). I read this haunted house thriller for one of my book clubs. So many webs of generational trauma were woven into this family saga. This is going to stick with me for a long time.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Book 106 is Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renee Watson (Poetry). I got to hear her speak in Philadelphia this summer, and she soothed my soul. Hoping to use this book in my dissertation. It is such a phenomenal exploration of Black girlhood.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Book 105 is Garron Park by Nordika Night (Adult Fiction). A rough and rugged enemies-to-lovers. Took me a while to get through all the angst in this one.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Book 104 is Soundtrack by Jason Reynolds (Young Adult Fiction). Get this book for the music, the full cast, the music, the sound effects, the music, the found family, the music, the struggles of a boy on the brink of adulthood, the music...

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Book 103 is The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith (Poetry). The inside of this book is just as beautiful as the cover. These poems gutted me and put me back together. Even if you don't usually read poetry, pick this one up. Also, I just saw it's a finalist for the National Book Award.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Read in Love: Centering Joy, Justice, and Black Girlhood was a success!

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Book 102 is Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi (Adult Fiction). Another super cute witchy ghosty romcom.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Book 101 is Love At First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi (Adult Fiction). I absolutely loved this spicy romp between a horror writer and the actor who stars in one of her movies, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the ghosty side story.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Book 100 is Thunder Thighs by Evie Mitchell (Adult Fiction). A short and steamy love story with a small-town island setting.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Book 99 is Nero by S. J. Tilly (Adult Fiction). I thought this Mafia romance was just okay. The story was interesting, but there were plot holes I couldn't get past.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Book 98 is Leave Me Behind by K. M. Moronova (Adult Fiction). This felt like a return to the Dark Romances I read 15 years ago. It was VERY intense and surprisingly sweet.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Book 97 is Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca (Adult Fiction). A pretty cute ghosty romance in small-town Florida.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Book 93 is A Love Most Fatal by Kath Richards (Adult Fiction). I absolutely loved this Mafia rom-com where she's the criminal boss and he's the unassuming school teacher.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Book 92 is Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans (Poetry). I read this for the first time 4 years ago and just reread it. It is a soul-crushing, heartwarming, hopeful, and sometimes humorous collection of poems that I think every Black woman should read, more than once if possible.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

My friends are about to take me to brunch to celebrate my birthday and I look cute as hell.

Jessica wearing a green and white tennis outfit and white tennis shoes

Jessica wearing a green and white tennis outfit, white tennis shoes, black and yellow purse, and sunglasses

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Book 91 is Mafia Target by Mila Finelli (Adult Fiction). An assassin falls for his mafia target.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Donations for my @donorschoose.bsky.social project are doubled today for my birthday!

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

First day of school - year 16! (And my birthday)!

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Hope I get to see some library friends at AASL in a couple months!

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Book 90 is Knot Her Goal by Ari Wright (Adult Fiction). Sports romcom plus Omegaverse.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Hey! Hey! I've been working really hard to expand my student romance book club, and this year I'm focusing on accessibility. I'd love for students who need a little more time to read the books to feel comfortable borrowing a book from our permanent collection, and you can help!

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Book 89 is The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore (Adult Fiction). A wild intergenerational story about friendship and family.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Book 88 is Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield (Young Adult Fiction). An American teen goes to France as an exchange student seeking information about Black ex-pats and falls in love along the way. Hoping to have the Romance Book Club girls read this one.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Back to work today! Processing lots of new books and meeting new teachers. I actually really like these early days before everyone gets back because I can get the library in order with minimal interruption.

Jessica sitting in her office in front of a cart full of books

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Book 87 is Game Changer by Rachel Reid (Adult Fiction). Pretty sweet hockey romance.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Book 86 is My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan (Adult Fiction). I picked this one up because the movie releases on Friday. An American college student spends a year in Oxford and falls in love. Much more emotional than I was expecting.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Book 85 is Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson (Adult Fiction). A romcom with some interesting historical family lore and...a Loch Ness Monster.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

Book 84 is Duke of Luhst by Mariah Stone (Adult Fiction). A rake and a spinster make a bet that lasts the entirety of a 30-day house party in the country. I'm loving this regency series.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Book 83 is Run For the Hills by Kevin Wilson (Adult Fiction). A man keeps creating little families then leaving them behind and the siblings find each other. Kind of hilarious and kind of sad.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Book 82 is Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Adult Fiction). Hilarious, heartwarming, and spicy! Loved this one and genuinely laughed out loud a few times.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Book 81 is Gravity by Sara Cate (Adult Fiction). I usually like this author, but this forced throuple fell flat for me.

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Jessica Grider @mrsgrider.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Book 80 is Duke of Rath by Mariah Stone (Adult Fiction). I loved the premise of this regency romance. Very well done.

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